I think it was a social-studies class in the early grades where I learned what the saying &uot;jumping on the bandwagon&uot; meant. It went back to something I generically thought of as &uot;the olden days&uot; when a big wagon would come through town, literally with a musical band on it, signaling some &uot;olden days&uot; notion of party time. The people would hop on and go for a ride. It was a fleeting kind of fun and everybody wanted a piece of it.

Today, the phrase is used to describe people w ho get behind something fashionable when they wouldn’t have been interested before it was popular.

I mention it because we’re starting to hear accusations of bandwagon-hopping in the world of the Minnesota Twins, who crushed the spirits and playoff hopes of the Chicago White Sox by beating them in three straight games last week. It appears the Twins are headed for the playoffs for the second straight year.

Most of this season, however, has been a different story. In the first half of their schedule, the Twins were &045; well, let’s be nice and say &uot;inconsistent.&uot; A couple of months ago, Twins fans were using much harsher words to describe a team that hit rock bottom with a six-win, 21-loss stretch headed into the All-Star break.

Predictably, fan interest was low, as evidenced by thousands of empty blue, plastic seats at the Metrodome for most of the team’s home games. But last week, with the Mighty Whities in town for a crucial series &045; the teams were virtually tied for the division lead when the three-game set started &045; the seats were suddenly full of Homer-Hanky-waving Twins maniacs.

Some people wonder where all these people were when times were tough. They lament that Minnesota seems to support its sports teams when they’re succeeding but ignore them when they aren’t.

But why shouldn’t they?

People didn’t line up at box offices to see &uot;Gigli.&uot; That’s because the movie stunk. They wouldn’t pack the Xcel Energy Center to watch a terrible rock concert. Why would they spend time and money taking in entertainment that isn’t entertaining? The problem is made worse by the Metrodome’s standing as the most hideous stadium in all of professional sports. People aren’t going to go there unless they have a good reason.

Every team has its core fans who will always be there. There is also a large, silent group that follows the team casually, glances at the standings once in a while, and starts to get interested if something big is happening. Then there are people who really don’t follow the game at all, but are attracted to the festive atmosphere winning creates.

None of these people are doing it the wrong way. They’re just attracted to different things.

That doesn’t stop the bandwagon haters. Here’s a sample of what I’m talking about, from a post on an online Twins message board:

&uot;It is a little embarrassing that Minnesota seems to have the biggest bandwagon jumping epidemic in the country. You’ve seen it with the Twins, with the Wild last spring, even with the lady Gophers basketball team. People who have never been to a game in their lives now suddenly start pouring in in droves … What keeps a person from being a real fan during the regular season, but becoming a fan during the playoffs?&uot;

Who says Minnesota has more bandwagon jumpers? The phenomenon can be found many other places. At least the fans show up when the success comes. In some places, even success isn’t enough to fill the seats. We should be happy.

I think some of the hardcore fans tend to lament the &uot;bandwagon jumpers&uot; at this time of year &045; and exaggerate the &uot;problem&uot; &045; because they think they deserve some kind of credit for being there all along.

Well, if it makes you feel better, congratulations on your devotion. Now, move over and make room for more people on that bandwagon.

(Dylan Belden is the Tribune’s managing editor. His column appears Sundays. E-mail him at dylan.belden@albertleatribune.com.)